Kurt Busch Will Not Be Charged In Domestic Violence Case

DOVER, Del. — NASCAR driver Kurt Busch will not face criminal charges over claims by his ex-girlfriend that he smashed her head into a bedroom wall and choked her, Delaware prosecutors said Thursday.

The decision by the state attorney general's office ends the criminal investigation of Busch over allegations by Patricia Driscoll, whom Busch's attorneys portrayed as a scorned woman who tried to destroy Busch's career after he ended their relationship.

State prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges.

"After a thorough consideration of all of the available information about the case, it is determined that the admissible evidence and available witnesses would likely be insufficient to meet the burden of establishing beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Busch committed a crime during the September 26th incident," the attorney general's office said in a prepared statement.

A spokesman for the Dover Police Department, which investigated the incident and gave its findings to the attorney general's office, said the department respects the decision and has no further comment.

In a prepared statement, Busch thanked prosecutors for carefully considering the evidence and his supporters for standing by him "throughout this nightmare."

"As I have said from the beginning, I did not commit domestic abuse," Busch said. "I look forward to being back in racing as soon as possible and moving on with my life."

Driscoll said in a prepared statement she was disappointed that "full justice" was not served.

NASCAR officials suspended Busch indefinitely last month after a Delaware Family Court commissioner granted Driscoll a "protection from abuse," or no-contact order, saying the former champion more than likely choked and beat her inside his motor home at Dover International Speedway last fall.

Busch lost two rounds of appeals for reinstatement before the season-opening Daytona 500 and has missed the first two races of the season. NASCAR officials said Monday that he has agreed to follow their recommended guidelines to be eligible for eventual reinstatement.